David Jones

Born	1 October 1834
Died	2 December 1906
Nationality	English
Employer	Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway (apprentice); Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway (assistant); Highland Railway (Locomotive Superintendent 1869–1896)

David Jones (1834–1906) was a British locomotive engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the Highland Railway at Lochgorm Works, Inverness, from 1869 until his retirement in 1896, and who is recorded in railway history as the designer of the Jones Goods 4-6-0 of 1894 — the first locomotive of the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement to operate in Britain, a design that established the type as the definitive British heavy goods and mixed-traffic configuration.

Born at Manchester on 1 October 1834, Jones was apprenticed at Cowlairs Works on the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway under William Paton and subsequently worked on the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway, one of the Highland Railway's constituent companies. He joined the new Highland Railway at its formation in 1865 as an assistant to Locomotive Superintendent William Stroudley, succeeding Stroudley when the latter left for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1869.

Jones's twenty-seven years at Lochgorm produced a succession of distinctive and competent designs suited to the Highland's demanding operating conditions: the severe gradients of the Drumochter Pass, the long distances between water stops, and the relatively light permanent way that imposed strict axle-load limits. His 'Skye Bogie' 4-4-0 of 1882 was an elegant and capable express engine for the Kyle of Lochalsh line, and the 'Strath' 4-4-0 of 1892 served the Highland's secondary routes. The Jones Goods 4-6-0 of 1894, however, was his most historically significant work: fifteen were built, and the type's superior haulage capacity over the grades of the Highland main line proved the 4-6-0 concept that Churchward, Bowen Cooke, and Robinson would develop into the standard British express and mixed-traffic type of the twentieth century. The preserved Jones Goods No. 103 is displayed at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow.

Jones retired in 1896 following injuries sustained in a footplate accident. He was succeeded by Peter Drummond. He died at Inverness on 2 December 1906.

Biography

David Jones (1834–1906) was a British locomotive engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the Highland Railway at the Lochgorm Works, Inverness from 1869 until his retirement in 1896. He is best known for the Jones Goods Class of 1894, the first 4-6-0 in Britain and a design that decisively settled the case for the type as the British heavy goods and mixed-traffic standard.

Born at Manchester on 1 October 1834, Jones was apprenticed at Cowlairs Works on the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway under William Paton and worked his way northward by way of the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway, joining the new Highland Railway at its formation in 1865. He succeeded William Stroudley as Locomotive Superintendent on Stroudley's move to Brighton in 1869.

His Highland output was distinctive: large outside-cylindered engines on the small loading gauge of his often-curving routes, often fitted with the louvre chimney that became something of a Highland trademark. The 'Skye Bogie' 4-4-0 of 1882, the 'Strath' 4-4-0 of 1892 and the Jones Goods 4-6-0, Britain's first, were the most numerous and characteristic. The first Jones Goods, No. 103, is preserved at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow.

Jones retired in 1896 after a footplate accident and was succeeded by Peter Drummond. He died at Inverness on 2 December 1906.

Locomotives designed

Highland Railway Baron Class — David Jones's 1874 Highland Railway 4-4-0 passenger class — the railway's first 4-4-0s, built at Lochgorm Works for HR Inverness–Perth expresses across the Drumochter and Slochd summits.
Highland Railway Bruce Class — Jones's 1884 Highland Railway 4-4-0 — successors of the Baron class and the Highland's principal express engines of the 1880s.
Highland Railway Jones — David Jones's 1894 Highland Railway "Jones Goods" class 4-6-0 — Britain's first 4-6-0 and the world's first 4-6-0 to enter regular service. 15 built at Sharp Stewart for HR mineral traffic over the steep Highland gradients. Worked the Highland's heaviest goods until 1934. The first engine of the class, HR No. 103, is preserved at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow in Highland yellow livery.
Highland Railway Loch Class — David Jones's 1896 Highland Railway "Loch" class 4-4-0 — the railway's standard express engine of the late 1890s, named after Highland lochs. 18 built; worked HR expresses for nearly 50 years.
Highland Railway Skye Bogie Class — David Jones's 1882 Highland Railway 4-4-0 — small but capable 4-4-0s designed for the Dingwall & Skye Railway between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, with its severe gradients and tight curves. The class earned its nickname from the line it was built for. Worked the Skye line for over 50 years.